The present invention relates to an air suspension systems applicable or useful for vehicles, particularly for trucks and automobiles. The invention relates to and is and improvement over U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,379,572 and 4,518,171 both issued to William E. Hedenberg, the inventor of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,572 provided an air suspension system which could be relied on as a primary means for supporting the load carried by the vehicle and for absorbing the forces imparted by the road to the vehicle through the wheels and axle of the vehicle. The system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,572 permitted convenient location of that suspension system vertically and horizontally with respect to the vehicle axles while allowing the system to be mounted on most types of frames and on most types of vehicles.
The air suspension systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,572 functioned satisfactorily, however, the installation of that air suspension system on a vehicle required the removal of a number components and brackets included on the vehicle by the original manufacturer of the vehicle. Also, it was found that the installation was difficult and time consuming. Further, certain improvements in techniques, mounting and operation have been found which improve the performance of air suspension systems.